Cherrytree
RPM
tadcfnaf
Blair
Raineh Daze
Plank Sinatra
cosmiccowgirl
sillykins@Crimmy@Plank Sinatra
Schwarzes and Such
Okay, alright, fine. For the sake of my own ability to think straight, I had to come to terms with the fact that, inevitably, I was going to get drawn into whatever nonsense these two were spewing. As a responsible older brother, it was in my earnest nature to correct every single mistake they made on such things, and with them making so many so egregiously, I was doomed to a life of being the beleaguered mentor, selflessly giving up my time and energy to keep those incorrigible little sisters of mine on the straight and narrow.
...
But really, though, I had to admit that I worked better in the quiet and undisruptive situations that the scenario of April and Dawn being in the same room completely demolished, so despite my best efforts, I was back to getting nowhere fast. Only this time, it wasn't an internally-sourced problem. Drawing up blueprints, albeit basic and rough ones with my artistic skill, and gathering the parts for an assembly of the reverse-engineered bit were pretty obviously my next two steps, but what they required was some level of focus.
"So is the Goldeneye, like, the Millennium Eye?"
Focus that I couldn't get a hold of to save my life with these two. I swore they did it on purpose.
...
Wait. Golden eyes.
"Alright, you two." I piped up, managing to cut in edgewise and disrupt what had become a perfect storm of chatter.
"Yeah?"
"Hai?"
"I've got a job for you. If you're up for it."
Challenge them. Attack with the possibility that there may be something they can't handle...
"Shoot!"
"Try us, nii-chan!"
And they're all ears. Huh. Simple. That was so blatant of me, too.
...Was it always this easy the whole time? Just appeal to their ability, and they'll even listen to me? That...
I don't know what it said about the three of us, but I'm not sure anyone came out better from the revelation.
A-Anyway...
"Since you've gotten the concepts straight in my head, I think it'd do us all a favor if you guys track down Tanner while I finish up here."
Time for payback, you sleazy aloha bastard. If you're gonna dump these two on me, I'll drag you back into the fold.
April, being the firebrand, was quick to respond brimming with confidence as she marched toward the door.
"Is that all? I can find him easy, nobody wears those shirts any more except for him!"
While that wasn't wrong, it was also terribly optimistic. I looked to Dawn, expecting a more level-headed response...
"Well, outside of a vacation, anyway."
...Not what I was hoping for, and really, on the subject of floral out-of-place dress? She wasn't in that much of a position to talk with her yukatas. If uniforms didn't exist, I was fairly sure she'd have gone to Signal in one of a different color for every day of the week.
Well, far be it from me to act against this Disappearance.
"You need him for something, or..?"
Oh, there it was.
"Well," I began, thinking over something suitable, moreso than 'I want to get one up on him for a change'. "I just think it's smart for us all to be in one place whenever Mom and Dad finally make their way up, you know?"
"Ah, that makes sense, if..."
"If?"
If what?
The answer to my question came from the local willow tree jogging in place, a mouth creased into a distrustful grimace.
M-My plan was failing!
"If you don't try to run off on us again, Nii-chan."
What the hell happened to me being a good guy deep down?! I mean, you're right to suspect me of deception, but didn't you just deceive me too by saying all that?!
"I won't leave this place, don't worry. I've got work to do. Remember," I said, raising my hands, "You did find me here in the first place."
...
Suddenly, all smiles again.
"Good point! We'll be back in a flash, bro!"
"Work hard!"
...
I'd never understand their thinking.
But I think I was beginning to understand their desires.
...What did it say about me that they just wanted to trust me, then?
That they were perfectly willing to help me if they could trust me?
...
...
...Get to work, idiot. You've done it now, may as well make sure it's for something.
As for the remaining member, even as I sat back down, I decided to go against everything I'd just said and create some idle conversation of my own.
"So," I began, fishing through the general machinist's treasure box of good fun loot. "I'm sorry if this is being presumptuous, but you use a polearm, right?"
Where had I sent those two off to in finding that guy, anyway?
--20 minutes later--
Said guy was currently in the middle of an animated chat with an old, old friend. As animated as it got for his languid demeanor, true, but to anyone who knew him, he was obviously a little less flippant and a little more friendly than usual.
"So between you, Julia, and Holly, O Immortal one," came the sentence from within the wry grin even as two familiar sets of feet were storming down the halls behind him, "I'm starting to think I'm the only one of us that halfway looks our age. Of course, disregarding Slate, but I personally haven't seen him in years. As for the rest of you, you're all way too young-looking, really."
"There he is!"
"The dorms, of all places..."
He smirked, turning and waving to the closest thing he had to a pair of nieces nonchalantly. "And to speak of youth, the two of you ever meet the girls?"
"So this is where you were hiding, huh? Looking for Nii-chan's dorm?"
"Nah, I just heard the telltale sounds of a search-and-seizure and got curious. Your father did say he wasn't going to make it until the evening, after all. This crotchety old man got a little confused."
"Wait, you can learn to tell how police searches sound?"
"You must hang around Papa more than we thought..."
"Aha. Well, I do hang out with a lot of people." he said wryly, notably having a habit of never sticking around one place long enough to hang out with people. Inclining his head in the direction of the cardinal-headed youngster, he continued with an impish "Like this kid, for instance."
"Oh, you know more students? Hi there! I'm April, Luke's little sister!"
"I'm Dawn, also his little sister!"
"It's nice to meet you!"
Schwarzes and Such
Okay, alright, fine. For the sake of my own ability to think straight, I had to come to terms with the fact that, inevitably, I was going to get drawn into whatever nonsense these two were spewing. As a responsible older brother, it was in my earnest nature to correct every single mistake they made on such things, and with them making so many so egregiously, I was doomed to a life of being the beleaguered mentor, selflessly giving up my time and energy to keep those incorrigible little sisters of mine on the straight and narrow.
...
But really, though, I had to admit that I worked better in the quiet and undisruptive situations that the scenario of April and Dawn being in the same room completely demolished, so despite my best efforts, I was back to getting nowhere fast. Only this time, it wasn't an internally-sourced problem. Drawing up blueprints, albeit basic and rough ones with my artistic skill, and gathering the parts for an assembly of the reverse-engineered bit were pretty obviously my next two steps, but what they required was some level of focus.
"So is the Goldeneye, like, the Millennium Eye?"
Focus that I couldn't get a hold of to save my life with these two. I swore they did it on purpose.
...
Wait. Golden eyes.
"Alright, you two." I piped up, managing to cut in edgewise and disrupt what had become a perfect storm of chatter.
"Yeah?"
"Hai?"
"I've got a job for you. If you're up for it."
Challenge them. Attack with the possibility that there may be something they can't handle...
"Shoot!"
"Try us, nii-chan!"
And they're all ears. Huh. Simple. That was so blatant of me, too.
...Was it always this easy the whole time? Just appeal to their ability, and they'll even listen to me? That...
I don't know what it said about the three of us, but I'm not sure anyone came out better from the revelation.
A-Anyway...
"Since you've gotten the concepts straight in my head, I think it'd do us all a favor if you guys track down Tanner while I finish up here."
Time for payback, you sleazy aloha bastard. If you're gonna dump these two on me, I'll drag you back into the fold.
April, being the firebrand, was quick to respond brimming with confidence as she marched toward the door.
"Is that all? I can find him easy, nobody wears those shirts any more except for him!"
While that wasn't wrong, it was also terribly optimistic. I looked to Dawn, expecting a more level-headed response...
"Well, outside of a vacation, anyway."
...Not what I was hoping for, and really, on the subject of floral out-of-place dress? She wasn't in that much of a position to talk with her yukatas. If uniforms didn't exist, I was fairly sure she'd have gone to Signal in one of a different color for every day of the week.
Well, far be it from me to act against this Disappearance.
"You need him for something, or..?"
Oh, there it was.
"Well," I began, thinking over something suitable, moreso than 'I want to get one up on him for a change'. "I just think it's smart for us all to be in one place whenever Mom and Dad finally make their way up, you know?"
"Ah, that makes sense, if..."
"If?"
If what?
The answer to my question came from the local willow tree jogging in place, a mouth creased into a distrustful grimace.
M-My plan was failing!
"If you don't try to run off on us again, Nii-chan."
What the hell happened to me being a good guy deep down?! I mean, you're right to suspect me of deception, but didn't you just deceive me too by saying all that?!
"I won't leave this place, don't worry. I've got work to do. Remember," I said, raising my hands, "You did find me here in the first place."
...
Suddenly, all smiles again.
"Good point! We'll be back in a flash, bro!"
"Work hard!"
...
I'd never understand their thinking.
But I think I was beginning to understand their desires.
...What did it say about me that they just wanted to trust me, then?
That they were perfectly willing to help me if they could trust me?
...
...
...Get to work, idiot. You've done it now, may as well make sure it's for something.
As for the remaining member, even as I sat back down, I decided to go against everything I'd just said and create some idle conversation of my own.
"So," I began, fishing through the general machinist's treasure box of good fun loot. "I'm sorry if this is being presumptuous, but you use a polearm, right?"
Where had I sent those two off to in finding that guy, anyway?
--20 minutes later--
Said guy was currently in the middle of an animated chat with an old, old friend. As animated as it got for his languid demeanor, true, but to anyone who knew him, he was obviously a little less flippant and a little more friendly than usual.
"So between you, Julia, and Holly, O Immortal one," came the sentence from within the wry grin even as two familiar sets of feet were storming down the halls behind him, "I'm starting to think I'm the only one of us that halfway looks our age. Of course, disregarding Slate, but I personally haven't seen him in years. As for the rest of you, you're all way too young-looking, really."
"There he is!"
"The dorms, of all places..."
He smirked, turning and waving to the closest thing he had to a pair of nieces nonchalantly. "And to speak of youth, the two of you ever meet the girls?"
"So this is where you were hiding, huh? Looking for Nii-chan's dorm?"
"Nah, I just heard the telltale sounds of a search-and-seizure and got curious. Your father did say he wasn't going to make it until the evening, after all. This crotchety old man got a little confused."
"Wait, you can learn to tell how police searches sound?"
"You must hang around Papa more than we thought..."
"Aha. Well, I do hang out with a lot of people." he said wryly, notably having a habit of never sticking around one place long enough to hang out with people. Inclining his head in the direction of the cardinal-headed youngster, he continued with an impish "Like this kid, for instance."
"Oh, you know more students? Hi there! I'm April, Luke's little sister!"
"I'm Dawn, also his little sister!"
"It's nice to meet you!"